Waste less

Waste less, reuse, recycle

The amount of waste produced in north London over the past three years has been going down. This is great news but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to reach our targets. With your help we plan to reduce rubbish in north London by up to 80,000 tonnes.

While recycling is a fantastic way to turn our rubbish into something useful, preventing waste is even better. If we reduce the amount that we produce in the first place and reuse things for a second time, we also avoid the industrial processes involved in recycling.

Waste less, shop smart

There are lots of ways you can produce less waste when you're out and about shopping. Try following these tips and see how much less waste you produce.

Say “no” to single-use bags. Take your own bags when you go shopping. From October 2015 this will also mean you avoid paying 5p per bag.

When buying gifts, think about how to wrap them in an environmentally friendly way. Our furoshiki instructions will take you through some simple steps for adding a touch of class to your gifts by wrapping them in reusable fabric.

Plan your meals and make a list before going shopping.

Buy refills of products like washing detergents, coffee, hand wash and use refillable drinking bottles; it is usually cheaper.

Packaging costs money and can increase the price of goods. A little packaging can help to prolong the life of some foods but try to avoid excess packaging, especially on easter eggs, toys and individually wrapped items like biscuits. Wherever possible, look for unpackaged products or buy products packaged in reusable or recyclable material.

Avoid disposable items that are used once and then thrown away. There are other products available which can be reused, for example rechargeable batteries, razors where the head can be replaced and low energy light bulbs.